Kody Rush, accused of destroying another man's home in an early morning car accident, appeared in a Great Falls courtroom on Thursday.
Rush, 19, was arraigned and charged with felony criminal endangerment and five misdemeanor counts, including minor in possession of alcohol and driving with a suspended license.
In court today, Rush was supposed to enter a plea but because he was late and missed the reading of his rights, his arraignment was re-scheduled for December 31st.
Judge Kenneth Neil told Rush if he was late to his next hearing he would be arrested and sent to jail.
(November 12, 2009) Two developments today in the case of the car that crashed into a Great Falls home, destroying the house and leaving the tenant homeless.
Mike MacKenzie was sleeping inside his house early Wednesday morning when a car plowed through his house. The home is now destroyed, so family and friends are hosting a benefit spaghetti dinner on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the West Side Vets Club. The cost is $5 per plate, and country band "Hired Gunns" will play at the event, football games will be on the big screens TVs.
MacKenzie says he'll also accept any donation from a can of food to a couch, adding that any little bit will help.
Meanwhile, Kody Rush, the 19-year old Great Falls driver responsible for the crash, is now facing six charges. Rush remains hospitalized with injuries sustained in the Wednesday morning crash.
Cascade County Attorney John Parker told us that Rush was charged today with felony criminal endangerment, as well as five misdemeanor counts, including minor in possession of alcohol and driving with a suspended license.
(November 11, 2009) One Great Falls man and his daughter are homeless this evening, after a very rude awakening. Early this morning a car crashed into their house located at 523 4th Avenue Southwest, destroying the residence.
The 19-year old driver of the car was taken to the hospital with head injuries, and is currently listed in good condition.
Miraculously, the home's only occupant at the time escaped with only minor cuts and bruises on his leg. Mike MacKenzie, the resident of the home, pointed to a spot amidst the debris and said, "This is where I was right here. All I could hear was this loud crash which woke me up and threw me to the floor. Smoke, glass, alarms going off."
And MacKenzie says if he had been awake any earlier, or in any other room, the accident could have killed him. "The only safe place I could have been in the whole house was the bedroom. There's no other place, and if I would have been standing up, You can see the damage to the bathroom. I think God kept me asleep for a few more minutes," he said.
MacKenzie, who has joint custody of his nine-year old daughter, said that he is thankful she was with her mother at the time of the crash. "From the damage, if she'd been here...there's no telling what this story would be now," he noted. MacKenzie says his home is a total loss and signs of the collision stretch all over the property.
Neighbors say they are outraged by the accident, but not surprised. Robin Fladstol commented, "It seems like it's just been a heck of a speedway coming through here, and I know if you look back in history, there have been a lot of people that have gotten hurt along this road."
Fellow neighbor Kirk Wood remarked, "People come around here really crazy and people take chances and this stop sign and cross the road which get's really busy. I've seen a lot of accidents."
Residents say another stop light or even more patrols could prevent similar accidents, but for this home, the damage is done.
"It's a total loss. All the pictures, memories, gone," lamented MacKenzie.
MacKenzie says he's receiving some assistance from the American Red Cross but is still in need of help. If you would like to get involved, you can call Mike at 452-9531.
